Stucco Window Trim Repair — Rotted Trim on a Stucco House
The wood trim around the windows on your stucco house is soft at the bottom and the caulk against the stucco has split. We replace the trim in PVC and seal it to the stucco the right way.
Stucco window trim repair is different from trim on a sided house because the stucco does not move and the trim cannot be tucked behind it. JMB Builders removes the rotted wood trim, cuts a clean kerf in the stucco above the window for a drip cap, installs new PVC trim, and seals the trim-to-stucco joint with backer rod and sealant instead of a bead of caulk. Twin Cities metro, priced per window, quoted from photos within one business day.
- Priced per window
- Drip cap kerfed into the stucco, not caulked on top
- PVC trim so it does not rot again
- Quote from photos in 1 business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Older stucco houses across the metro have wood trim around the windows: a brickmould or a flat casing that sits on the face of the stucco or in a recess. The stucco is hard and does not rot, so the trim is the weak spot. Water runs down the stucco, hits the top of the trim, and either sits there or runs behind it. There is usually no drip cap because the original installer would have had to cut the stucco to put one in. Thirty years later the bottoms of the side pieces are soft and the caulk line to the stucco has cracked open.
The fix has three parts. The trim comes off and the window jamb and sheathing behind it get checked. Then a drip cap goes in above the window: we cut a straight kerf in the stucco with a diamond blade, slip the leg of the flashing into it, and seal it, so water on the stucco face is thrown out over the new trim instead of behind it. Then new cellular PVC trim goes on, and the joint between the trim and the stucco gets a backer rod and a real sealant that can stretch, not a smear of painter's caulk.
Some of these jobs are not trim jobs. If the stucco itself is cracked in a pattern around the window, bulging, or soft when you press on it, water is behind the stucco and a stucco contractor needs to open it up. We tell you that from the photos so you do not pay for trim that will not solve it.
What you supply
- Photos: the worst corner up close, the whole window from a few steps back, and one along the wall showing any stucco cracks
- Your exterior trim color if we are painting the new PVC
- Whether the house has other windows with the same trim, so we can quote the set
What JMB supplies
- Removal and haul-away of the rotted wood trim
- Inspection of the jamb, sill and sheathing once the trim is off, with photos if anything is wrong
- A straight kerf cut in the stucco above the window and a metal drip cap set into it and sealed
- New cellular PVC trim cut to the existing profile and width, joints glued with PVC cement
- Backer rod and a high-movement exterior sealant at every trim-to-stucco joint
- Stainless or coated fasteners into the window frame and framing, never just into the stucco
- Photos of the finished window in your job folder
- Painting the new trim when you want it done, quoted as its own line
How it is priced: per window
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Trim on the face of the stucco vs. trim set into a recess, which takes more fitting
- Whether a drip cap has to be kerfed in or one already exists
- Width of the trim and whether the profile has to be built up from stock
- Rot that went past the trim into the jamb or sheathing
- Second-story windows that need staging
- Number of windows in the same visit; a set of windows is much cheaper per window than one
Press on the stucco next to the window and tell us if it is hard or if it gives. Hard stucco with rotten trim is our job; soft stucco is a stucco contractor first.
How long it takes
One first-floor window including the drip cap kerf: about half a day. A set of windows on one side of the house: a day or two. Painting is quoted as its own line.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Face-mounted brickmould on stucco
The trim sits on the stucco face around the window. We replace it in PVC brickmould, kerf in a drip cap at the head, fasten through to the window frame, and seal the outside edge to the stucco with backer rod and sealant.
Trim in a stucco recess
The window is set back and the trim fills the space between the frame and the stucco return. New PVC is scribed to the stucco edge, the head gets a drip cap, and the sealant joint is sized so it can move without tearing.
Cracked caulk only, trim still sound
If the trim is solid and only the caulk line has failed, we cut out the old caulk, set backer rod, and re-seal every joint. That is a small job per window and it stops the water before the trim goes.
Not a trim job
Stair-step or spider cracks in the stucco around the window, a bulge, or stucco that gives when pressed means water behind the stucco. That needs a stucco contractor to open the wall, and often a window replacement. We tell you from the photos and can do the window and trim once the stucco is handled.
Stucco Window Trim Repair — Rotted Trim on a Stucco House: questions, answered
Why does the window trim on a stucco house rot?
Because the stucco sheds water onto the trim and there is usually no drip cap above the window to throw it clear. Water runs down the stucco face, sits on the top of the head trim, and works behind it. It comes out at the bottom of the side pieces, where the end grain soaks it up. Stucco does not rot so it hides the problem until the trim is soft and the caulk line has split open.
How do you put a drip cap on a window in a stucco wall?
We cut a straight, shallow kerf in the stucco just above the head trim with a diamond blade, slip the vertical leg of a metal drip cap into that kerf, and seal the kerf. The horizontal leg sits on top of the new trim with a slight slope, and the front edge is bent down so water drips off clear. It is the piece that was skipped when the house was built and the reason the trim rotted.
Should the trim on a stucco house be caulked to the stucco?
Yes, but with the right joint. A bead of painter's caulk over a gap between trim and stucco cracks in the first winter because the trim moves and the stucco does not. We set a foam backer rod in the gap and put a high-movement exterior sealant over it, so the joint can stretch and shrink without tearing. The bottom of the trim is left open so anything that gets in can drain.
What are the cracks in the stucco around my window trim?
Hairline cracks at the corners of a window are common and usually cosmetic. Stair-step cracks, cracks you can fit a fingernail in, bulges, or stucco that feels soft when you press it mean water has been behind the stucco long enough to hurt the lath or sheathing. That is a stucco contractor's job to open and repair, not a trim job. Send us a photo along the wall and we will tell you which one you have.
Can you replace rotted window trim on a stucco house without redoing the stucco?
Yes, when the stucco is sound. The trim is fastened to the window frame and the framing behind it, not to the stucco, so it comes off and goes back on without disturbing the wall. The only cut we make in the stucco is the shallow kerf for the drip cap, and that is sealed and hidden under the flashing. If the stucco edge chips when the old trim comes off, the new trim and sealant joint cover it.
Is PVC trim the right choice against stucco?
It is what we recommend. Cellular PVC does not rot, so the water the stucco sheds onto it does not matter the way it did with pine. It cuts and scribes to an uneven stucco edge, the joints glue tight, and it holds paint if you want it a color other than white. It goes in white with the joints caulked. Painting is quoted as a separate line, or leave it and paint it yourself.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
Related jobs we do
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Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All exterior trim pages
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Exterior trim near you
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